Rating: 
Summary: Who wrote this novel?
Review: I just finished this book; at first I thought I made a mistake and Cradle and All wasn't written by "the" James Patterson. I respect his creation of characters other than Alex Cross but the character development in this book was non-existent. A former nun who is now a detective? What a great idea for an interesting character; its a shame this talented writer wasn't up to the challenge. And why did everyone believe these girls were virgins? I immediately thought Kathleen could have become pregnant the way described. Didn't we learn that in grade school sex education? I am so disappointed; James Patterson is one author I always bought in hardback. I won't again. I just wish I could get my money back.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the rewrite
Review: Find a good used book store and look for a copy of "Virgin." Much better book. The changes in the two versions aren't interesting or compelling enough to justify the rewrite. The change to first person (Anne) and the change in the ending were just plain stupid. It's a fast read, for sure - chapters are short short short. Each chapter changes location and viewpoint character, which fragments the story unduly. Overall, I'd have to say that "Cradle and All" and "Pop Goes the Weasel" (the most recent Alex Cross book) aren't worthy of Mr. Patterson and certainly not worth the price of the hardbacks.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably bad
Review: This book is truly AWFUL! I have enjoyed other books by the author, so I am not prejudiced against him. I understand that this book is a re-write of an earlier work; I can certainly believe this. Without giving away the plot, this book concerns the concept of a virgin birth, as in the Bible. To those who do not believe in this concept, the book is ridiculous. To those who do believe in the Biblical story, particularly those who believe literally, the story is offensive. That leaves almost no one who should like this book. I sincerely hope that the author goes back to Alex Cross.
Rating: 
Summary: Fast paced entertainment!
Review: I picked up this book at eight and refused to go to bed until I finished it, from the first page to the last, this book held my interest. While the characters may not have been fully developed, the story and the intensity more than made up for that with an ending that was chilling to the bone. I would say if you prefer the Alex Cross series and hated 'When the Wind Blows' you probably wouldn't like this one, but if you enjoy it when Patterson departs from his beloved Cross characters, then you will enjoy this one!
Rating:
Summary: Atypical writing
Review: This book was not reflective of Patterson's typical writing style. I was bored to tears and regretted sitting for 2 hours reading it. There was no suspense, and the idea of the book was very offensive to me.
Rating:
Summary: Cradle and All
Review: The second book by this author of this type - Patterson should stick to story lines that feature Alex Cross. At least those novels have a probable plot.
Rating:
Summary: Not the Alex Cross book?
Review: I am kind of disappointed about the absence of the popular Alex Cross at this time but I did enjoyed reading the new book...Cradle and All by my all-time fave author, James Patterson. I had been with him since the novel, Along Comes the Spider and he eventually hooked me for a long time! It would be so nice for him to write another story without the Alex Cross character but do not allow him disappear from the coming books. I had read the past book called When the Wind Blows...a very different book with very interesting characters and nice to read it. I would enjoy something different away from the usual books(with Alex Cross) as long as the story must be fresh, exciting and far-outstanding! Okay! For this book, Cradle and All...I admit you that I did enjoyed reading that book and already recommended my friends to read it. I know that some of these people gave the bad reviews about that new book. I think that the story is very interesting and it had me hooked up! The characters in the story are good and easily to follow them throughout the novel. The story itself is NOT that BAD! Please let James Patterson to have a BREATHER to write something different as I just told you as the above. I can not wait for his next book with my favorite detective, Alex Cross. Stay with him no matter what kind of stories he can write and entertain us! Be very nice to him! Or he will send the child of the Beast over you!
Rating:
Summary: WEAK EFFORT
Review: SORRY GUYS: NOT VINTAGE PATTERSON: THE DEJA VU FEELING IS FOR PATTERSON READERS DEFINITIVE: VIRGIN WAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT BUT NOT MUCH BETTER TREATMENT. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO WARM TO ANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS BOOK. THEY ALL SEEMED "WRITTEN" NOT "LIVING". THE PLOT SEEMED RATHER TIRED, AND WHAT IS UP WITH THE 3 PAGES PER CHAPTER SYSTEM OF WRITING? I THINK IT KEPT THE BOOK FROM DEVELOPING A FLOW. LOVE ALL PATTERSON, NOT JUST THE "CROSS" WORKS; BUT THIS SEEMS LIKE FILLER UNTILL THE NEXT "CROSS" NOVEL; A REAL (EXPENSIVE) LETDOWN.
Rating:
Summary: Patterson Makes You Think
Review: I found this book to be chilling and want to run out and go to church. I just finished it, and wow, does he make you think. This is a book about good and evil, and while it does seem a bit drawn out, the end is worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed review
Review: I've been hooked on James Patterson since I read KISS THE GIRLS. He typically does a wonderful job with character development and suspense. CRADLE has all of the Patterson elements: notoriously short chapters, quickly defined characters, alternating first and third person narration. All in all this is a decent read.
The storyline revolves around the question of how the world would react to the news of a modern-day immaculate conception. Anne Fitzgerald is called in by the Archdiocese to provide an objective investigation into a reported virgin pregnancy. She walks in expecting an easy assignment and instead ends up testing her own faith. Along the way, we're introduced to Nicholas Rosetti, a strong priest sent in to unravel the mystery of two young women claiming to be virgins despite their pregnancies. He believes one will bear the saviour of man, the other will bear the child of satan. The story moves rather slowly through most of the book; it focuses on outlining the media frenzy building around one of the virgins as well as the scapegoating endured by the other virgin. The last quarter of the book builds to a quick climax with an ending that makes the reading worthwhile. It also leaves the question: when is the sequel? Overall, I enjoyed the book. It's a very quick, easy read (at just over 300 pages, I polished this off in a few hours), it addresses some rather heavy spiritual issues, but it delivers a story without being "preachy". I wouldn't qualify this as one of Patterson's best works; it's more like "Patterson-Lite". The novel exemplifies his earlier abilities, but overall, I enjoyed it.
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